AP Lit Independent Reading

Posted on February 19, 2016 by msnev

Next month you will be embarking on an independent reading journey. In order for you to have plenty of time to investigate the possibilities and make an informed choice, I am posting your list now. You are welcome to consult this master list of works that have appeared on the AP test in past years and select anything on it (preferably something that has been on the test within the past decade), or if you find that overwhelming simply choose one from this short list of my personal recommendations:

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  • A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
  • Atonement by Ian McEwan
  • Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
  • Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
  • *Merchant of Venice or *King Lear by William Shakespeare
  • The Stranger by Albert Camus
  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
  • Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
  • Snow by Orhan Pamuk
  • The Blind Assassin or Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
  • Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
  • Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky
  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  • Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
  • *A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
  • *The Glass Menagerie or *A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
  • Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  • The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
  • To the Lighthouse  or Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
  • Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
  • Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • The Kite Runner  or A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

* denotes the work is a play

Please have your choice made AND a copy of it in hand by March 1st. You may wish to purchase your own copy so you can underline and annotate as you read. You need to have read the book, written a reflection (details forthcoming), and completed a note card for it by April 3.

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November Assignment Schedules

Posted on November 3, 2015 by msnev

Here are your assignment schedules for the month:

AP Lit Assignment Schedule – November 2015

English 4 Assignment Schedule – November 2015

Honors English 2 Assignment schedule – November 2015

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BONUS OPPORTUNITY FOR 1st GRADING PERIOD!

Posted on October 14, 2015 by msnev

Tuesday, October 20th is the National Day on Writing, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). It is a day to celebrate the many ways we use writing to live more fully and think more freely. If you would like to earn some bonus points, follow these directions:

  • Think honestly and seriously about why you write – and I don’t mean just for school! Do you write poetry or song lyrics? Make lists? Write to communicate with others? Think about the underlying reasons that motivate you to write.
  • Come up with a statement in 140 characters or less that sums it up. Your tweet can be serious, poetic, mysterious, funny, informative, or creative in any way you’d like. The only two restrictions are:
    • it must be school-appropriate, and
    • it may not be along the lines of “because I have to” or “to pass English class.”
  • Tweet your statement @Ms_Neville , and use the hashtag #WhyIWrite. You will earn up to five bonus points for doing this.
  • You may do this TWICE (a different tweet each time, of course) for up to 10 bonus points.
  • THIS IS DUE BY 11:59 PM ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20th. No exceptions.

If you are not a Twitter user, that’s fine – you are not excluded from this opportunity. Simply write or type your statement and turn it in to me via email (mneville@cuyhts.org) or a hard copy.

Have fun!

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Assignment Calendars Through the End of the Grading Period

Posted on September 18, 2015 by msnev

Here are your new calendars of assignments and assessments. Believe it or not, this one takes us through the end of the 1st 9-week grading period!

AP Lit Assignment Schedule Sept-Oct 2015

English 4 Assignment Schedule Sept-Oct 2015

Honors English 2 Assignment Schedule Sept-Oct 2015

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Fundamentals of Language Bonus Activity (due 5/27)

Posted on May 22, 2015 by msnev

Eighth period, here is the bonus crossword puzzle for this grading period:

FOL BONUS

Good luck!

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Summer Reading Requirements for the Class of 2016

Posted on May 19, 2015 by msnev

Greetings, next year’s seniors! I will be coming in to talk to you in your current English class next week, but for those of you who would like a preview I am posting your summer reading assignments now. Please click on the appropriate link below to view a PDF of your summer assignment(s).

English IV Sumnmer Reading Assignment 2015

AP Literature & Composition Summer Assignments 2015

These resources are also available in the Summer/Independent Reading tab in the top right corner of this site.

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15 Words to Eliminate from Your Writing

Posted on May 7, 2015 by msnev

It’s not just me! Some of you may think I’m being nit-picky when I constantly circle these words and write “WC” (word choice) above them in essay after essay. However, I’ve seen this list pop up often on social media over the past few days — it has a good list with great explanations. Please read it!

 

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Take Note

Posted on April 21, 2015 by msnev

This is currently trending on LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals of all sorts:

Hire Writers

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You’ve Asked for it: CHS Yoga Class Offering Survey

Posted on February 6, 2015 by msnev

Many of you know that in addition to loving my job teaching high school English, I am also a credentialed yoga teacher. I’ve had many CHS students and teachers ask this year if I would be willing to teach a yoga class here at the school, so I’ve put together this survey to determine exactly what people are looking for. If you’re considering taking yoga classes (if this idea gets approved — I still have to run it by the bosses once I have enough information from you to know what I need to get approved), please fill out the survey and spread the news to anyone else who might be interested.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

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Clarification for Parents (and Students) Regarding Required Style Guide

Posted on August 31, 2014 by msnev

I’ve had a few parents inquire about the style guide mentioned in my Honors English II syllabus, so I thought it would be best to post responses here in case anyone else had the same questions or concerns. They’re all very valid and fair questions!

QUESTION: I have a son/daughter in your Honors English II class and one in your English IV (or AP English IV) class. Why are the sophomores REQUIRED to purchase a style guide, but it is only RECOMMENDED to the seniors? 

ANSWER: In the past the CHHS English department has not uniformly required a particular style guide to be purchased and used from year to year, but after a year-long PLC (professional learning community) project we decided it was in our students’ best interest to adopt one. As we phase in this new purchase requirement for all students, I figured it would be easier to justify the investment to students/parents who would be using the book for more than one year. It will certainly be easier for me to conduct class activities if all or most of the seniors have their own copy, but for this first year I’m willing to work with what we have.

QUESTION: I have more than one kid in the high school. Can they share one copy of the book? 

ANSWER: As long as they don’t have English class during the same period, I don’t mind if your kids share one copy. Please check with Mrs. Siley or Mr. D though if either of them has one of your kids as a student.

QUESTION: Two different books are listed. Is one preferable to the other? 

ANSWER: The second of the two books is perfectly fine (and half the price)! We listed both A Writer’s Reference (7th edition)  and A Pocket Style Manual (6th edition) because the longer, more expensive former is often required by colleges and therefore could save you about $30 in the long run. We fully understand though that some of you nearly fell out of your chairs when you saw a $60 book listed as a requirement for a high school class. I sincerely apologize for any stress it may have caused.

QUESTION: Where do you recommend purchasing the book?

ANSWER: Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble sell A Pocket Style Manual  (6th edition) for roughly $27. Click on the store names for direct links to the listings. Please feel free to explore any cheaper used copies they offer, but just be certain you’re getting the correct edition so recent updates to APA and MLA formats are included. If you’d prefer to buy the book at an actual brick and mortar store, I recommend calling first to see if they have it in stock (if not, they can easily order it for you).

Barnes and Noble (Eaton/Chagrin Blvd. location): 216-765-7520

Barnes and Noble (Crocker Park location): 440-250-9233

Visible Voice Books (Kenilworth Ave. in Tremont):  216-961-0084

 

I hope this post is helpful. Please feel free to email or call with any additional questions!

 

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